How does the water of the brain yield the wine of conscious experience? What is the link between bodily activity and our inner feeling of what its like to be ourselves? In this highly readable yet scholarly essay Nicholas Humphrey takes a fresh look at the so called hard problem of consciousness and, in the light of evolutionary history, proposes a radically new solution. His controversial ideas are discussed and challenged by leading figures in the philosophy of mind, including Andy Clark,

Daniel Dennett, Naomi Eilan, Ralph Ellis, Valerie Gray Hardcastle, Stevan Harnad, Natika Newton, Christian de Quincey, Carol Rovane and Robert van Gulick. This book is an excellent short introduction to the on-going debate about the nature of consciousness.